On the Waterfront (1954)
Terry Malloy dreams about being a prize fighter, while tending his pigeons and running errands at the docks for Johnny Friendly, the corrupt boss of the dockers union. Terry witnesses a murder by two of Johnny's thugs, and later meets the dead man's sister and feels responsible for his death. She introduces him to Father Barry, who tries to force him to provide information for the courts that will smash the dock racketeers. (IMDB.com)
Cast and Information
Directed By: Elia Kazan
Written By: Budd Schulberg, Malcolm Johnson
Starring: Rod Steiger, Martin Balsam, Lee J. Cobb, Pat Hingle, Leif Erickson, Karl Malden, Marlon Brando, Eva Marie Saint, Fred Gwynne, James Westerfield, Don Blackman, Pat Henning
Country: USA
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On the Waterfront belongs to 135 collections
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Browse the full list of collections
| Stars | User | Rating | |
| 8 |  |
MartinTeller | 65 26th |
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Good, but not especially impressive. It's mostly the performances that make it decent. It's hard to watch this without considering the personal implications it had for Kazan. Also, the score is unbearably oppressive.
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| 8 |  |
Magb | 75 50th |
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One of the worst musical scores of all time single-handedly manages to knock this one down from "great" to just "good" for me. Perhaps its greatest achievement is introducing a new, more naturalistic style of acting to Hollywood. The story is good, but it doesn't blow me away.
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| 5 |  |
Farzan | 89 88th |
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I know people are sick and tired of hearing this, but here it is: Marlon Brando is the shit. His performance is absolutely stellar, and Eva Marie Saint is smokin. But Lee J Cobb really stands out in this, I don't know if it is because I adore him in 12 Angry Men, but Cobb is the man. This is a terrific film, and ahead of its time, but Brando's on screen presence, and Kazan's directing are certainly the high points of this classic film.
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| 4 |  |
djross | 50 43rd |
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The behaviour of director Kazan during the McCarthy period tends to put into even starker relief the questionable politics of this movie about union corruption. If the movie is intended as a defense of that behaviour, then in my view it fails. Although Brando's acting has been justly celebrated, the film is, in the end, a rather simplistic, melodramatic, and over-praised morality play.
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| 4 |  |
Alex Watkins | 4 70th |
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The historic significance of this film stands entirely on the shoulders of Brando's stellar performance, which, though perhaps not the greatest of all-time, is certainly in the conversation. There are some other fine performances as well, notably Lee J. Cobb (who kicks ass in everything), but nothing else about this movie really screams greatness. It's still very good, though.
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| 3 |  |
doctor7 | 90 91st |
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Superb film with an absolutely incredible performance by Brando that secures him as one of the best actors ever on screen. The film becomes even more powerful when you know about Kazan's involvement with the House of Un-American Activities Committee as it undoubtedly reflects how he feels about it.
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| 3 |  |
frederic_g54 | 9 90th |
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(second viewing) Some say Brando makes this film; It's a noteworthy and amazing performance, but the film is an ambitious piece of work, referenced of course in Scorsese's Raging Bull (which was superiour to this one). I can see the resemblance, two fighters working their way up in life, fighting obstructions and dishonesty they meet along the way. I know the following has been hailed by many, but the scene in the back of the car, is honestly one of the best 3 minutes in cinematic history.
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| 3 | IHateMovies | 85 60th |
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Brando's the one who gets all the hype, and his performance is absolutely stellar, but I also really enjoyed Cobb and Steiger in their brief time on screen. Malden is great, and the script is fantastic all-around. The historical context may somewhat taint the experience, but the biggest flaw is undoubtedly in the score, which is overdone and at points absolutely terrible. There are crucial scenes between Brando and Saint where there's loud music playing for no reason. What's the big idea?
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| 2 |  |
BillyShears | 90 92nd |
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Holy moly the music in this almost ruins certain scenes, turn that down Buster Brown, YEESH
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| 2 |  |
Barthalen | 85 92nd |
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The story may seem simple, but the way it is acted and shot lifts it to great heights. So many wonderful individual moments, and the atmosphere throughout is amazing. Brando was impressive, but Cobb and Malden add just as much to the film. The soundtrack was the weakest element, it distracts more than it helps build a mood. Apart from that, On The Waterfront is definitely more than the sum of its parts.
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| 2 |  |
nobamba | 95 97th |
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Elia Kazan doesn't waste any scenes here and I appreciate that. Romance was a bit of a stretch. Great social commentary and setting at the docks with the union and the oppressed workers. Plot points/twists were predictable but probably because other films have copied this. Fav scenes: priest's passionate appeal and the brother's coded plea to Marlon Brando.
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| 1 |  |
DavidKahane | 93 87th |
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It's just the film that changed the very nature of acting, that's all. Brando's work is indeed something to marvel at: grounded, earthy, genuine and also boldly alive, suggesting complicated inner working with every step he takes, every sideways glance. His inventiveness wears off as the whole cast is in line with his excellence. There are some bumps in the narrative such as reactions to Malloy's raised voice against corruption that don't completely ring true. It's still gripping throughout.
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| 1 |  |
twincinema | 90 92nd |
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It's funny to compare a motivated Brando to his later work.
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| 1 |  |
Bojangles | 70 78th |
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Crazy how the first two acts are a tender romance/character study with solid religous/philosophical themes; and then it turns into some unrealistic, melodramatic, political horseshit. The music, the use of it, and the volume of it are all horrific. My score is only this high b/c thru the first two acts, I thought this might be one of my new favorite movies. Real characters, great writing, the best acting. Brando makes everyone around him better, and changed acting forever and for the better.
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| 1 |  |
Suture Self | 3 25th |
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On the Waterfront? More like On the Roof, amirite?
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| 1 | owen1218 | 60 28th |
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Great acting from Brando, and the cinematography is pretty good. After that I don't have a whole lot to say that's positive about this one. Full of cheesy good-vs-evil storytelling, and the soundtrack hurts the film as much as people say.
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| 1 |  |
Obdurate | 85 80th |
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Definitely really enjoyed it, loved seeing Brando (who rightfully gets a lot of praise), Saint and Cobb especially. There are some great moments like in the back of the cab, and the direction is good. However, I don't know; I guess it just doesn't have the extra oomph to put it up to a 90 for me. Maybe it's because there are some odd moments, like when loud sounds/music plays over important scenes where it is not needed, and detracts from it. Still a classic and deserving of the status.
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| 1 |  |
JackDurden | 10 98th |
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I think Marlon Brando's best performance was in this, what an absolutely amazing and classic film. The development of Brando's character and the directing from Elia Kazan are the best aspects. It's certainly something I could watch over and over again without getting tired of.
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| 1 |  |
INDYATMN | 84 70th |
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Like a lot of pre-70's films there r a few moments of hokeyness (Bernstein's score may wake the neighbors & not just feminists should find Eva Marie Saint's turnaround ridiculous), but like a lot of pre-70's film this is still better than a lot of the market-tested junk we have now. Brando certainly earns his kudos here, pulling off a bone-deep, world-weary resignation while never seeming uncharismatic& the film's portrayal of the world of dock workers & corrupt union bosses is gritty & lived-in
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| 1 | tef | 75 35th |
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I thought it was rather boring. Brando looks like he has too much make-up on. The girl loves him from a few chance encounters? A man who murders people for less does not think to murder both brothers to prevent testimony? I just didn't feel involved. The acting is good, but the story is just a bland morality play.
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| 1 |  |
astrakhan | 78 57th |
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A supposedly classic film but to me it seemed no more than an above average drama in which most elements were ok to decent, without ever coming close to spectacular. What it lacked on the romance front it made up for in the tension permeating Terry's situation in the final act. Acting was ok, Brando good, supporting characters a bit ropey. Looked and sounded average. As a whole, not up to the standard of contemporaries such as Hitchcock, Welles, or Wilder.
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| 1 |  |
Ocelot | 30 22nd |
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Brando is great, and most of the other actors hold their own, but Kazan's direction is like that of a play: servicable, but fairly bland. The biggest problem by a fair margin, though, is the score, which is one of the most obnoxious and overblown pieces of crap I've ever heard. You've got a movie in which the performances are the main draw, and yet there are lines of dialogue that simply cannot be heard over the loudest fucking horns in the world. A shame.
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| 1 |  |
naikou | 30 12th |
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Dull. The only good performance is Brando - everyone else sounds like they're rushing through their lines. The priest is especially bad. Features a cartoonish villain, who gets an ending straight out of a Disney movie. TERRIBLE soundtrack, maybe the worst I have ever heard. It may be a historically significant film, but that doesn't make it a good film, especially judged by today's standards.
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| 1 | RoboShark | 90 78th |
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Great filmmaking and performances are somewhat marred by a disgusting message.
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| 1 |  |
Rufam | 60 29th |
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Average direction, ho-hum writing and some very impressive performances add up to a decent but unspectacular film. "On the Waterfront" is mostly dull and simplistic -an uninteresting and manipulative morality play. What elevates it is the acting. Brando is a remarkable protagonist, while Cobb and Steiger are strong as well. Thanks to their contributions, this is watchable and occasionally even powerful. Unfortunately, the great parts are few and far between -the final outcome is sharply uneven.
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| 1 |  |
Noblet | 78 65th |
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Very good, though not all that great outside of the acting. Brando really knocks it out of the park, and the other actors all do fine jobs themselves. Lee J. Cobb gets special mention for being great in this and 12 Angry Men. The thing I disliked most about this movie was the awful, overbearing score
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| 1 |  |
afx237vi | 80 84th |
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Sentimental and moralistic, for sure, but thematic simplicity becomes less of a problem when the acting performances are so assured and so full of empathy. It's not just Brando, either. Everyone is on top of their game here, but I was particularly impressed by Saint and Steiger. As good as the famous taxi scene is, my favourite moment was Brando's dockside confession being drowned out by the wall of industrial noise; it felt strikingly modern.
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| 1 |  |
??? | 53 32nd |
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What's with Brando's eyebrows? MAJOR divo...
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| 1 |  |
Yiannos | 83 95th |
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The score blows, and there are several dated elements, but it's really all about Brando and the gritty poetic realism influenced by the Italian film makers of the 1950's.
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| Average Percentile 71.92% from 3549 Ratings |  |